Health

Shaping urbanization for children, a handbook on child-responsive urban planning, presents concepts, evidence and technical strategies to bring children to the foreground of urban planning. By focusing on children, this publication provides guidance on the central role that urban planning should play in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

The impact of building renovation on health, well-being and productivity could improve the lives of more than 200 million Europeans. This set of publications, developed by BPIE and commissioned by Buildings 2030, takes an important step towards defining, measuring, quantifying and monetising the impact of indoor environmental quality in schools, hospitals and offices.

Buildings consume nearly 40% of primary energy production globally. Certified green buildings substantially reduce energy consumption on a per square foot basis and they also focus on indoor environmental quality. However, the co-benefits to health through reductions in energy and concomitant reductions in air pollution have not been examined.

As the 21st century unfolds, an increasing majority of the world’s population will live in cities. Human wellbeing in cities relies on a complex web of interconnected institutions, infrastructure and information. People are drawn to cities as centres of economic activity, opportunity and innovation.

Heat-related mortality tends to be associated with heatwaves that do not allow for sufficient acclimatisation to hot temperatures. In contrast, damage functions and most heatwave emergency response plans do not account for acclimatisation.

The world's population is increasingly urban with more than half the global population already living in cities. The urban population is particularly affected by increasing temperatures because of the urban heat island (UHI) effect.

At Future Earth, we believe that research, innovation, and collaboration can transform the world toward sustainability. We harness the experience and reach of thousands of scientists and innovators from across the globe. Together, this global community facilitates research, mobilises networks, sparks innovation, and turns knowledge into action.

The provision of publicly accessible parks and green spaces is a policy issue at multiple levels of central and local government, devolved national administrations and local authorities. Parks and green spaces are typically free at the point of access and this access is usually unregulated; spaces where people can move, breathe, play and run.

In the almost 10 years since we launched with The Fifth Estate we’ve learnt three important things about offices, the topic we covered at our event in Brisbane on 27 March 2018, Bring Your Office to Life.
One is that offices are capable of huge sustainability gains; they can achieve massive cuts in energy and greenhouse gas emissions.

A small environmental organization has taken on Germany’s powerful auto industry in court and has begun winning limited bans on heavily polluting diesel vehicles. Some analysts say this may be the beginning of the end for diesel automobiles in Germany and the European Union.

Climate change and population growth pose significant challenges and opportunities for Melbourne’s water supply, sewerage, stormwater and waterway systems. If these challenges are not effectively managed, communities will face water shortages and restrictions, devastated parks and gardens, flooded streets, destroyed waterways and escalating water bills.